


The Pond That Held Our Hopes

by shitfanficmeup



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Bad Parent John Winchester, Castiel/Dean Winchester First Kiss, Childhood Friends, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Human Castiel (Supernatural), Love Confessions, M/M, Parental Bobby Singer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:20:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28123749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shitfanficmeup/pseuds/shitfanficmeup
Summary: Dean and Sam grow up with their Uncle Bobby in Vermont after their mother dies. One summer the Novak's move in down the road. Castiel and Dean grow close to each other, this is their story.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 1
Kudos: 37





	The Pond That Held Our Hopes

The leaves were just starting to change from their summertime green to just barely orange and yellow at their edges from the cool Vermont nights. Dean Winchester, a rough and outgoing 9-year-old was happily throwing a baseball to his little brother, Sam. 

Sammy, as Dean called him was five years wild and did a good job of keeping up with his older brother. However, everything to them quickly became a competition and soon the baseball was sailing over Sam’s head and right into their Uncle Bobby’s window.

Less than a minute later, Bobby’s gruff voice cut through the stunned silence, “What in the holy hell?!”

Sam looked at Dean and Dean looked back at him, “We’re so screwed!” They groaned knowing what kind of trouble they had found themselves in. 

Adjusting his well-worn old cap that sat on his head, Bobby came lumbering out of his cabin and quickly found the two young boys who stood shocked in his front yard, “Why exactly did a baseball just break my kitchen window?”

Fast to point fingers, Dean gestured to his little brother, “It was Sammy’s fault!”

But Sam could dish it out as well as he could take it, “No! It was yours, you big meanie!”

“No! You didn’t catch it!”

“You throwed it bad!”

“It’s ‘threw’, dummy!”

“It’s ‘blah blah blah’, you butthole!”

Bobby stood in the middle of his front yard rubbing his temples, the bickering getting old very fast, “Hey… HEY! Both of you! Get in here.” He could hear Sam and Dean shuffling along behind him as they made their way into the cabin where he handed them a dustpan and a broom, “Clean up the glass.”

As he started walking away, he could hear their protests, “But Bobby!” However, they did still cleaned up the shattered glass that was scattered on the wooden floor with no other complaints. 

That was until there was a knock at the front door. Dean quickly dropped the broom and ran towards the door, “I’ll get it!” He ripped the front door open only to be faced with a boy who looked to be his age. He had messy black hair and bright blue eyes, the same color of the sky mid-afternoon on a clear summer day, ones that were quickly fading away. The boy was a little shorter than Dean and seemed much more timid by the way he shuffled his feet and fidgeted with his hands as he stumbled over his words, “H—hi… my name is C—Cas… Castiel. I’m sorry.” 

The stranger, Castiel, started to walk away leaving Dean speechless by the odd interaction but was dragged back by an older-looking boy who introduced himself, “Hi, I’m Gabe. This is my little brother, Cas. We just moved in down the street. Cas here wanted to come to meet our neighbors.” 

Both Sam and Bobby walked up behind Dean. Bobby warmly greeted the young kids, “Hey, boys. You the Novak’s?”

Cas shyly nods and replies to the intimidating older man, “Y—yes, sir.”

“Ran into your parents the other day. Nice to meet you.” Cas and Gabe had moved into the ranch home half a mile down the road from Bobby’s cabin with their mother Naomi after their father Chuck had left. 

Gabe ruffled Cas’s black hair and smiled at him, “You too, sir. We were just trying to help Cassie here make some friends.”

Cas blushed and continued to fidget until Dean piped up with excitement, “Cool! Have you seen the pond?!” When Cas shook his head, Dean continued, “It’s awesome! Bobby, could I go show Cas the pond?!”

With both Bobby and Gabe’s permission, the boys headed out on the fifteen-minute hike towards the secluded area of the forest. 

Dean tried to break the ice with the painfully shy Castiel, “So, you’re new in town?”

Thankfully his new friend seemed more at ease now that it was just the two of them, “Yeah. I just moved up here with Gabe and my mom.”

“Where did you live before?”

“Texas.” Cas’s tennis shoes shuffled along the dirt road along with Dean’s as they turned into the path that lead into the woods. “Cool! I bet you saw cowboys all the time! Cowboys are so cool! I wish I could be a cowboy!” Dean continued to ramble about cowboys, their horses, and all their different adventures until they got to the aforementioned pond, “Well, this is it!”

They stood side by side facing a semi-small body of clear water surrounded by rocks and tall wildflowers. Cas looked over at Dean’s freckle-covered face beaming in pride and admired the sight before him, “It’s very pretty.”

Dean just continued his enthusiasm with every sentence, “I like to catch frogs and swim here.” He walked over to a larger rock and stood on it, “You can jump off here!”

Cas just stood by as Dean removed his shoes and socks and waded ankle-deep into the water, “Come on, Cas! Come catch frogs with me.”

Very hesitantly, Cas removed his shoes and socks as well and joined Dean in the cool water, “I d—don’t want to hurt them.”

“Oh, no. We don’t. You try to catch them then let them go right away!” To prove his point, Dean expertly captured a frog in his hands before handing it to Cas. 

They both spent a few more hours catching frogs and exploring the pond before Dean piped up from across the glittering water, “Want to go get some ice cream?!”

Cas sadly looked away from Dean, staring off into the tall grass watching the crickets and grasshoppers jump from blade to blade, “…I don’t have any money…”

Dean was already pulling on his shoes when he smiled back at Cas, “That’s okay! I’ll pay. I deliver newspapers.”

A mile further down the road was a small blue and red shack with an ice cream cone sign above it. Under the cone was a sign that read, “Brandy’s Ice Cream Shop”. Two vanilla cones later, they were sitting on the small wooden bench, their scuffed up tennis shoes swinging slowly. They enjoyed each other's company in silence until Dean chirped, “So, we’re friends, right?”

Cas looked over at Dean’s shining green eyes in confusion,“Y—you want to be?”

“Of course I do! Best friends forever?”

“Forever.”

It was just the next day that Dean and Castiel were together again.After Dean had knocked on Castiel’s front door, Naomi let her son’s new friend inside. The two boys were planning on going for a hike to show Cas the area. They spent the warm autumn day chasing bugs and picking flowers. 

This time it was Cas who started the conversation, “W—what grade are you in? I’m going to b-be in the fourth grade.”

Nothing made Dean happier as his out-going and occasionally overzealous personality sometimes drove away his classmates, “Awesome, me too! I hope we’re in the same class!”

The rest of their summer break was filled with the crunch of sneakers on gravel, itchy bug bites, red-hot sunburns but most of all, laughter. 

A few years had passed and Dean and Cas were both twelve and back at their favorite spot, their secret pond. Dean was swimming, keeping himself afloat, “Come on, Cas! Swim with me!”

Cas stayed on dry land, staring at Dean kicking around like the frogs they caught a few years ago, “I don’t know h—how.” That didn’t stop Dean from eventually convincing Cas to join him in the cool water, Dean kept his hands on Cas’s sides to help keep him afloat. Their fingers and toes were prunes before they were out of the water that day. 

A few days later, Dean and Cas agreed to meet back at the pond but Cas got their first. He was playing on the rocks, feeling more confident after his first swimming lesson. However, after just one good swim he still wasn't confident enough for when his foot slipped off the mossy rocks and he plunged into the pond. 

Everything went dark for a minute as the water enveloped Cas’s head, and water-filled his lungs. Instantly terrified, Cas started to flail, panic taking over all rational thinking. He tried to scream for help, Dean’s name barely escaping his lips, “Dean!… DEAN!” 

The water stung deep in the back of his nose and throat, Cas almost lost hope until he felt familiar arms around him, pulling him out of the water and back onto firm ground. Cas tried not to cling to Dean but he felt like an angel had rescued him from hell. Dean continued to pat Cas on the back, trying to get him to cough up the water he had swallowed, “Are you okay?”

Cas couldn’t help it any longer, the tears of embarrassment and shock overflowed from his eyes. They spent a few minutes together until Cas calmed down enough for them to walk to Bobby’s. They stayed huddled together to try and minimize Castiel’s shivering but by the time they were in the cabin, his shaking was enough to rock both of them. Dean called for Bobby who came running from the kitchen, he quickly rushed Cas into a hot shower and left him out some of Dean’s dry clothes. Dean was busy heating up tomato soup for Cas so it would be ready for when his best friend wanted it. 

Every summer, Dean and Cas spent their days and nights together. Nothing could tear them apart, not disagreement or hurricane. So many happy nights started with one of the pairs tearing down their stairs after their guardians alerted them the other had arrived. Once they had been secured behind closed doors, away from the critical eyes of real life, they hid in a world of secrets and whispers all their own. 

These are the days when they become true friends, disclosing only their deepest secrets to each other. Dean scarcely spoke of his past before his Uncle Bobby, it was only once or twice that Dean let his guard down long enough, “After my mom died, my dad wasn’t okay. He was apparently drunk all the time and the only memory I have of him is blurry, distorted yelling, pain and then never seeing him again. After that, Bobby took Sam and me in.”

Sadly, not all that’s destined is perfect, when the boys were eighteen they started to drift apart. Dean started to see a tall girl with auburn hair and Cas just seem to disappear from his world like a ghost. A whisper of childhood memories, seeming never to return. 

It was almost half a year they had gone with no communication at all until Dean decided that enough was enough. Parking his jet black fixed up 1967 Chevy Impala in front of Cas’s small white ranch house, he ran up the few small front steps and found himself knocking at the front door. 

It was Naomi, Castiel’s mother, who answered the door but something was different about her. Something was wrong. She had dark bags under her eyes, her skin was clammy and pale, she looked painful and slow. It broke Dean’s heart to see the woman once so full of spirit, who Dean considered family, looking so unwell. But still, she greeted him with a smile, “Hello there, Dean.”

Dean, now a teenager, asked with concern, “Are you okay?”  
Her raspy voice replied, “Yes dear, I started my first dose of chemo today so I’m just feeling a little ill.”

Feeling his heart shatter deep in his chest and the pieces fall to his toes, Dean tried to push back the tears, “Chemo? …you have cancer?”

Naomi was stunned silent, as it was always her understanding her son and his best friend were exactly that… best friends. They told each other everything, good or bad, “…Cas didn’t tell you?”

Dean went through a million emotions; hurt, worry, empathy, anxiety. All Dean knew was he needed to find Cas as soon as he could. Jumping in the Impala, Dean took off towards the one place that was sacred to just the two of them, their pond. 

He parked on the side of the road and walked the rest of the way there, his thoughts straying to every summer before when he and Cas had walked side by side. As he approached the pond, he laid his eyes on Castiel, his back hunched facing Dean. His bare feet were dangling into the water. His black hair was shining in the sun and still unkept, Dean couldn’t even repress a smile as he laid eyes on his best friend. 

Approaching him, He quietly said, “Hey, Cas.”

Without turning his head to look at Dean’s captivating green eyes, Cas replied, “Hello, Dean.”

“So… I stopped by your house. You didn’t tell me your mom had cancer?” Dean tried not to let the hurt seep through his voice but it was hard. He thought they were best friends but this didn't feel like it. 

Cas was eerily silent. No reply came from him. Dean made his way over to him, his limbs having a mind of their own. As he sat next to him, Dean hesitantly wrapped his tanned and freckle-covered arm around Castiel’s shoulders, “Talk to me, man. I don’t see you all year, you stop calling me. I feel like I lost my best friend.”

Starting to sniffle, Cas tried not to let his emotions come to the surface but after holding them back for so long, it became almost unbearable, “So do I.” His tears started to drop from his ocean blue eyes and stream down the pale sands of his cheeks. 

Dean’s heart shattered for his childhood best friend. Throwing his arms around him, Dean tried to comfort Castiel, “Oh, Cas. Don’t cry. Talk to me. You’re still my best friend. I’m here.”

“Gabe moved out and I don’t see you anymore and my mom is sick and everything is changing and it’s just too much.” Cas’s breathing continued to increase until Dean interrupted him.

“Let’s take a drive.” Dean’s green eyes were everything Cas remembered and more. They were warm and hopeful, kind, and loving. When Cas anxiously asked where and Dean replied, “Anywhere.” 

When Cas asked, “B—But won’t Lisa be mad?” Dean saw the same terrified kid standing at his front door all those years ago. 

Pulling his keys out of his pocket, Dean tried to manage a reassuring smile, “She’s been my girlfriend for two months, you’ve been my best friend for ten years. I don’t really care what she thinks at the moment.”

Sitting side by side inside the Impala, they drove to nowhere in particular just watching the trees pass in a blur, and the yellow lines on the blacktop fade away behind them. They sat in silence until Dean spoke up, “Cas, you know you’ll always be my best friend, right? That doesn’t just go away.”

Again, Cas couldn’t hold back his tears. Dean immediately pulled over and turned to face Cas, “Hey… why are you crying?”

Unfortunately, Cas was insistent that he couldn’t tell Dean the truth because “then you won’t be my friend anymore.”

Dean tried to reassure him that they’d always be best friends, “Come on, tell me. You know I’d never laugh at you or judge you about anything. I mean the stuff I know about you, you don’t have anything to worry—”

He was harshly cut off by Cas’s deep voice, “I love you.”

There it was. The truth. Ugly and beautiful and too honest or loud to be ignored. Dean sat in shocked silence, “…What?”

Cas now an emotional wreck, couldn’t stop the word vomit from spilling out, “I love you so much and I know you don’t feel the same way. I just can’t watch you love somebody else so I distanced myself from you because it hurts too much and I’m sorry but I can’t keep pretending.”

Castiel jumped out of the passenger seat of the Impala and started to walk down the road. Throwing the car in park, Dean quickly chased after him, yelling his name, “Cas! CAS! Will you stop for two seconds?” When Castiel’s feet didn’t stop, Dean knew only the truth could stop him, “I love you too, you idiot!”

Suddenly, Castiel’s shocked blue eyes were locked onto Dean but instead of being happy he looked almost betrayed, “That’s not funny, Dean. Don’t say that! You don’t get to just fuck with my feelings!”

Trying not to raise his voice back, Dean answered but his legs were starting to shake with fear of the unknown, “Cas, do you think all those nights we spent together, I was content to not hold you? All those days, I didn’t want to hold your hand? That’s all I wanted to do! I didn’t think you wanted to so I tried like hell to move on. You’re my best friend, Cas. Always have been, always will be. But I want you to be so much more.”

Dean watched in awe as Cas slowly walked over to him,“Do you really mean that?”

For the first time, Dean carefully took Castiel’s pale cheek into his hand and softly kissed his plush lips, whispering against them, “Yeah, Cas. I really mean that.”

Cas chuckled against Dean’s palm, “I guess we’re both a couple of dumbasses…” This time it was Cas who kissed Dean first and for the first time in their lives, things felt exactly perfect. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hey friends. I haven't written in a while, only this and the short thing I wrote after the f i n a l e. Currently having a manic episode and I'm STRUGGLINGGG. I hope you like this little bit of word vomit. Please comment any feedback/love/hate. I can take it. (No I can't.) <3


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